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House passes resolution condemning retaliation against Muslim and Arab residents after minor text changes
Summary
The Utah House amended and passed HCR 202, a resolution denouncing retaliation and hate incidents against Islamic and Arab communities following Sept. 11; amendments removed a litigation-related clause and changed "Arabic" to "Arab." The House referred the resolution to the Senate 71-0.
The Utah House of Representatives on a 71-0 vote amended and passed HCR 202 on a resolution condemning retaliation against Islamic and Arab communities and sent the measure to the Senate.
Representative Litvak, who led floor remarks in support of the resolution, said HCR 202 "has come about since September 11," citing incidents that followed the attacks, including hate mail directed at the University of Utah Middle East Center and an alleged attempted arson at a Pakistani-owned business. Litvak argued the resolution was intended to reassure Muslim and Arab residents, particularly with the 2002 Winter Olympics approaching.
Lawmakers adopted two changes before final passage. Representative Farren moved Amendment No. 1 to delete a "whereas" clause that referenced an incident involving Northwestern Airlines; he said the matter remained the subject of litigation and the facts were disputed. Litvak accepted the change as friendly, and the amendment was approved. Representative Pace successfully moved a technical edit in which instances of the word "Arabic" were replaced with "Arab" to refer to people rather than a language. Summations were waived and the House recorded a 71 yes, 0 no vote.
The resolution, as amended, affirms that acts of bigotry and retaliation against people of Islamic faith or Arab heritage will not be tolerated and directs the House to communicate that message to affected communities. The House clerk recorded the measure as amended and referred HCR 202 to the Senate for further consideration.
The House did not take additional substantive amendments on enforcement or new legal penalties; HCR 202 is a statement of legislative condemnation rather than a change to criminal law. Next steps: the Senate will consider the resolution.
